Hussey, Olivia

Romeo & Juliet

Shakespeare's classic play of tragic love between members of opposing families.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 12-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD

Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was unique in its day for casting kids in the play's pivotal roles of, well, kids. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting and 15-year-old Olivia Hussey play the titular pair, the Bard's star-crossed lovers who defy a running feud between their families in order to be together in love. Typically played on stage and in previous film productions by adult actors, the innocent look and rawness of Whiting and Hussey resonated at the time with a burgeoning youth movement from San Francisco to Prague. The tragic romance at the center of the story also clicked with anti-authority sentiments, but even without that, Zeffirelli scores points by validating the ideals and passions of strong-willed adolescents. Less successful are scenes requiring the actors to have a fuller grasp of the text, though the best thing going remains the unambiguous duel between Romeo and Tybalt (Michael York). Lavishly photographed by Pasquale de Santis on location in Italy, this Romeo and Juliet brought a different tone and dimension to a story that had become tiresome in reverential presentations. --Tom Keogh

Stephen King's It

Is there anything scarier than clowns? Of course not. And who knows scary better than Stephen King? You see where we're going. It puts a malevolent clown (given demented life by a powdered, red-nosed Tim Curry) front and center, as King's fat novel gets the TV-movie treatment. Even at three hours plus, the action is condensed, but an engaging Stand by Me vibe prevails for much of the running time. The seven main characters, as adolescents, conquered a force of pure evil in their Maine hometown. Now, the cackling Pennywise is back, and they must come home to fight him--or, should we say, It--again. Admitting the TV-movie trappings and sometimes hysterical performances, this is a genuinely gripping thriller. As so often with King, the basic idea (the bond formed during a childhood trauma) is clean and powerful, a lifeline anchored in reality that leads us to the supernatural. --Robert Horton

Based on the King Of Horror's 1986 Best Seller, "It" is a jittery, jolting excursion into personal fear. "It" raises goosebumps-and brings out the stars. Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, John Ritter, Tim Curry and Richard Thomas star in this thriller about a malevolent force in a small New England town.

Death on the Nile

Following Albert Finney's quirky and compelling performance as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, in 1974's Murder on the Orient Express, Peter Ustinov capably took over the role in this 1978 adaptation of Christie's river-bound whodunit. While on a pleasure cruise along the Nile with a taciturn companion (David Niven), Poirot slips into action following the murder of a much-despised heiress (Lois Chiles). There's no shortage of suspects... until, that is, they also start dying off, obfuscating the investigation by suggesting that several killers may be at work. With a disciplined screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, the film is solid enough (certainly better than its 1981 follow-up, Evil Under the Sun) and is graced immeasurably by a glittery cast including Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey, Jack Warden, and Angela Lansbury. Directed with customary efficiency by John Guillermin (King Kong, The Towering Inferno). --Tom Keogh

Inspector Hercule Poirot must solve the murder of a beautiful young heiress.
Genre: Mystery
Rating: PG
Release Date: 8-JUN-2004
Media Type: DVD

Mother Teresa

In a powerful portrayal Golden Globe-winner Olivia Hussey illuminates the life story of Mother Teresa the selfless missionary who brought hope love and salvation to the poorest of the poor. A shrewd diplomat and an indomitable force Mother Teresa is unwilling to accept what others deem impossible fearlessly fighting for the unloved and the forgotten. Her good works transcend hardships and ultimately earn her international acclaim including the Nobel Peace Prize. The small miracles and humble triumphs of Mother Teresa will inspire you in this poignant tale of a modern-day saint.System Requirements:Running Time: 110 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 024543245582 Manufacturer No: 2234558

Black Christmas (Special Edition)

The few remaining residents of a Canadian sorority house are celebrating the onset of Christmas vacation when a thirteen year-old girl is found dead in the park. Soon it is discovered that one of the sorority sisters is missing which triggers a terrifying chain of murders within the house. Director Bob Clark's (PORKY'S A CHRISTMAS STORY) tense effective film is a precursor to the slasher films that would come a half decade later but never relies on gore. Olivia Hussy (ROMEO AND JULIET) stars alongside Margot Kidder and SCTV's Andrea Martin.System Requirements:Running Time: 98 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R UPC: 880934124191 Manufacturer No: SOM-DV2419

You may never have heard of this neglected 1974 gem, but you've probably seen one of its many imitators. Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder (also look for Andrea Martin of SCTV fame) star as two residents of a sorority house that is emptying out as Christmas approaches. The atmosphere is jolly and carefree, except for an ongoing series of menacing telephone calls, and, oh yes, we've just seen someone climb into the attic with apparent ill intent. Kidder does some scene-stealing as the bad girl, Hussey illustrates one of the downsides to having beautiful long '70s hair, and Keir Dullea does a nice turn as the creepy boyfriend. Director Robert Clark knows that the unseen is far scarier than what can be seen and he ratchets up the tension beautifully, making good use of ominous shadows, and putting in nice touches like replacing the sound of a distraught woman's scream with the piercing ring of yet another ominous phone call. This is a terrific, well-made little movie that is genuinely sleep-with-the-lights-on scary. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis

Escape 2000

Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile

Black Christmas

You may never have heard of this neglected 1974 gem, but you've probably seen one of its many imitators. Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder (also look for Andrea Martin of SCTV fame) star as two residents of a sorority house that is emptying out as Christmas approaches. The atmosphere is jolly and carefree, except for an ongoing series of menacing telephone calls, and, oh yes, we've just seen someone climb into the attic with apparent ill intent. Kidder does some scene-stealing as the bad girl, Hussey illustrates one of the downsides to having beautiful long '70s hair, and Keir Dullea does a nice turn as the creepy boyfriend. Director Robert Clark knows that the unseen is far scarier than what can be seen and he ratchets up the tension beautifully, making good use of ominous shadows, and putting in nice touches like replacing the sound of a distraught woman's scream with the piercing ring of yet another ominous phone call. This is a terrific, well-made little movie that is genuinely sleep-with-the-lights-on scary. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, a creature was stirring...In Bedford, several unsuspecting people are about to receive Season's Greetings - of terror!

Tortilla Heaven

Food, faith and a miracle. A tiny town in New Mexico is turned upside down when the face of
Jesus Christ appears on a tortilla in the town s only restaurant.

Word of this miracle spreads like wildfire and people come from all over to worship,
to gawk and to take advantage of the frenzy. Ideas of expansion and franchising
abound, with everyone wanting to claim the tortilla for themselves. Soon the tortilla is
merchandising heaven, complete with mugs and memorabilia..

The miracle pits family against family, friends against friends and life becomes Tortilla Hell.
Can anyone restore the sanity

The Cat and the Canary (Uncut Director's Edition)

Carol Lynley stars as the guileless young woman who becomes the sole heir to eccentric millionaire Wilfrid Hyde-White's fortune in this remake of the Paul Leni silent-film classic. But there's a catch: all the surviving relatives must spend the night in the old mansion. If she dies or is judged insane within the next 12 hours a new heir will be named, and, as if a house full of greedy relatives isn't enough, a homicidal maniac is on the loose, or so informs asylum director Edward Fox, making a dramatic swashbuckling entrance crashing through the library window like a British Zorro. Radley Metzger, best known for his elegant erotic dramas and racy romantic comedies, steps out of the genre that made his name since his debut film Dark Odyssey. With tongue firmly in cheek he refigures the old, dark house farce as a British comedy of manners, nicely capturing the clipped delivery and witty repartee of the drawing-room comedy at the expense of the thrills and chills that make Leni's original so memorable. It's a stylishly handsome and often clever film (the reading of the will, with brash Hyde-White hosting from beyond the grave through the magic of home movies, is an inspired highlight), but it never achieves any tension or terror. Honor Blackman, Wendy Hiller, Daniel Massey, and Olivia Hussey costar. --Sean Axmaker